{"id":33094,"date":"2018-04-27T08:53:02","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T15:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=33094"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:06:27","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:06:27","slug":"jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed","title":{"rendered":"What Does It Take to Set a Fastest Known Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Pharr Davis<\/span><\/a> became the first woman to set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on a more than 2,000-mile-long trail when, in 2011, she bested the men\u2019s record for the approximately 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, adding to her list of FKTs. Pharr Davis reflects on speed in her new book,<\/span> The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the Record-Breaking Power of Strength and Resilience<\/span><\/em><\/a>, which was released in April<\/span>. <\/span><\/i>In interviews with scientists and other elite athletes, she explores what it takes to set an FKT.<\/span><\/p>\n

Record holders agree there\u2019s not one<\/span> single trick to becoming dominant at endurance sports. But similar themes emerge. \u201cPhysical endurance is the manifestation of the mental and emotional,\u201d Pharr Davis says. She\u2019s calling me from the road on a 22-state book tour with her husband and two kids in tow. \u201cRunning and training will help you with resilience for hard things that are not related.\u201d She believes the same science and psychology applies to athletes\u2019 daily lives. Case in point: We\u2019re interrupted by her six-year-old, Charley, who got into a bag of candy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jennifer Pharr Davis’ new book, “The Pursuit of Endurance,” was published in April.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the surface, the elite athletes she profiles in her book have little in common. There are media-savvy ultrarunners Karl Meltzer and <\/span>Scott Jurek<\/span><\/a>. There are mentor-mentee pairs like David Horton and Andrew Thompson or Warren Doyle and Pharr Davis herself. And she interviews reclusive, self-taught record-setters Scott Williamson and <\/span>Heather Anderson<\/span><\/a>, too. These people come from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, but their similarities lie in the questions they ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their record-breaking missions began with curiosity. Is this possible? Is this something I can do? What would it take to make it happen? Over a weekend with friends, Williamson dreamed of hiking the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail twice<\/span> in one year. Thompson wondered whether he could surpass the AT record of his running mentor, Horton.<\/span><\/p>\n

To unlock potential, goal-setters must understand their personal biases. On her first AT speed attempt in 2008, Pharr Davis sought the women\u2019s FKT, not the overall record. \u201cI decided before I ever started that I couldn\u2019t compete with the men, so I limited myself to establishing the female mark,\u201d she writes in her book. She set a new women\u2019s record that year, but recognizing the mental ceiling freed her to ask a daring new question: If I did it again, could I beat the men\u2019s FKT, too?<\/span><\/p>\n

Pharr Davis beat the overall record in 2011 using sports psychology. She told me a three-sentence version: \u201cI can get there. I will surround myself with positive influences of other people. I will see myself where I want to go.\u201d Visualizing yourself winning may sound hokey, but scientists find it works. When you can\u2019t visualize pushing through a tough spot, an encouraging support crew can pull you through.<\/span><\/p>\n

But even a well-organized crew cannot control all aspects of setting a record. Weather, injury and mental fatigue demoralize runners. In rough times, athletes can\u2019t change what happens to them. But they can control their perception of the experience and their response. This mental trick can mean the difference between quitting and persevering.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pharr Davis set the overall Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Pharr Davis)<\/p><\/div>\n

One obstacle a positive attitude can\u2019t fix? Finances. Bottomless coffers won\u2019t buy an FKT, but money troubles add stress to an already difficult goal. Endurance athletes should expect and prepare for obstacles they can control. The body, mind and nature will provide the other hurdles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, winning mind games alone won\u2019t guarantee an FKT. Fitness and physical strength are critical. Growing up, she went from playing basketball and tennis to running marathons and eventually ultramarathons. Today, her FKT training regimen is pretty standard: weekly mileage goals, cross-training and sneaking sit-ups mid-workday as the owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, a guiding service on the <\/span>Appalachian Trail. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Pharr Davis\u2019 record-winning strategy is surprising. To prevent a trip-ending injury, she didn\u2019t run the AT\u2014she hiked it, logging 47 miles a day, at an average pace of 3 miles per hour, for over 16 hours a day. After the FKT, Pharr Davis asked exercise physiologist Shawn Bearden whether a slower pace was advantageous for endurance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe heart does well when it stays just above a resting level,\u201d Bearden tells Pharr Davis in<\/span> her book. \u201cIt\u2019s very comfortable doing that for an extended period of time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She succeeded in part because she listened to her body and rested when needed. \u201c[On hard days] I needed to adapt to give my body rest to get the strength and energy to keep going,\u201d Pharr Davis says. \u201cEndurance is bending and not breaking. Distance, nutrition, rest, pace\u2014the body sends us strong signals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pharr Davis\u2019 book, on sale now, is especially useful for endurance athletes, but she thinks her findings will help in everyday life lessons, too. \u201cThe biggest struggles,\u201d she says, \u201chappen off the trail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Pharr Davis became the first woman to set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on a more than 2,000-mile-long trail when, in 2011, she bested the men\u2019s record for the approximately 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, adding to her list of FKTs. Pharr Davis reflects on speed in her new book, The Pursuit of Endurance: Harnessing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":33095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[469,288,707,650],"internal-tag":[1678,1587],"class_list":["post-33094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-appalachian-trail","tag-featured","tag-hiking","tag-thru-hiking","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hiking","internal-tag-scenic-trails-features"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What Does It Take to Set a Fastest Known Time?","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/jennifer-pharr-davis-writes-new-book-on-the-science-of-speed"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/endplaque1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/04\/endplaque1.jpg?fit=2479%2C1757"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["appalachian trail","featured","hiking","thru-hiking"],"dateCreated":"2018-04-27T15:53:02Z","datePublished":"2018-04-27T15:53:02Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:06:27Z"},"rendered":"